CITYSCOPE (9)
Where to Stay in Toronto
Where to Stay in Toronto
SoHo Metropolitan Hotel, Toronto
Here are Tokyo Journal’s recommendations on places to stay in Toronto’s buzzing entertainment district. They are all within close proximity to the CN Tower, Rogers Centre (SkyDome), Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada, the Metro Toronto Convention Centre and the Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as Toronto’s impressive theater scene, The Second City improv theater, Roy Thomson Hall, the Distillery District and fantastic restaurants for all cuisines and budgets.
Where to Stay in Seoul
Where to Stay in Seoul
Park Hyatt Hotel, Seoul
The Park Hyatt Hotel, Seoul is full of surprises–starting with the check-in area located on the 24 floor, at the top of the hotel. Adjacent to the reception area, guests in the lobby lounge can view the fashionable Gangnam District through the glass surrounding the indoor swimming pool. “The most spectacular views in any hotel are on the top floor,” said Janet Lim, marketing communications manager. “In most hotels, these views are only available to those who have access to the executive lounge or the expensive lounge bars, which normally dominate the upper floor of the hotel. Here the views are available to everyone.”
Where to Stay in Tokyo
Where to Stay in Tokyo
Chic Boutique: Hotel S Roppongi
If you like the personal touch and prefer to avoid the hustle and bustle of big hotels, the Hotel S is a stylish choice. Located just a short walk from Nishi Azabu crossing and near the Roppongi District of Central Tokyo, the lodging doubles as a designer hotel and residence with serviced apartments that share restaurants, a library lounge, and meeting spaces with a relaxing ambience for their international trendsetting clientele. The rooms are available in a variety of unique themes and designs such as Luxury, Japanese Style Room–Zen, Hanging Garden, Patio Room, Hollywood Twin and Four Cube. They range in size from 17-45 square meters. The bilingual staff are personable and helpful.
Travel to Las Vegas & Portland, OR
Travel to Las Vegas and Portland, Oregon
TJ’s hotel reviewers headed to Las Vegas and Portland to experience the best places to stay and most entertaining things to do. Here are a few of our favorites.
Travel to the U.S.A.
Travel to the U.S.A.
Universal Studios, Hollywood, Scottsdale & New Orleans
TJ’s hotel reviewers headed to California, Arizona and Louisiana to experience the best places to stay and most entertaining things to do. Here are a few of our favorites.
Travel to Southern California
San Diego and Orange County
TJ’S hotel reviewers and their bicultural families headed out to Southern California to scope out some of the best places to stay and the fun things to do in San Diego and Orange County. After arriving at LAX, our families headed 45 minutes south on the 405 Freeway. First stop: Orange County. We stayed at many hotels and ate at many restaurants. Here is a list of some of our favorite things to do and places to stay in Orange County:
Sassy and Savvy Stay in U.S. Capital
Sassy and Savvy Stay in U.S. Capital
Aloft National Harbor & Aloft Dulles North
FOR a trendy stay while visiting the historic U.S. capital, consider the Aloft National Harbor or Aloft Dulles North hotels. The hotel chain’s core values are sassy, savvy and space. Sassy stands as a contrast to stuffy hotels. Savvy is because all the hotel staff (not just the bell captain or concierge) are knowledgeable of the hotel and city. Space? Well, the hotel’s public areas are just that: extremely spacious and not cramped. The hotel chain provides incentives to join in its sustainability practices. Guests who skip everyday room cleaning receive $5 towards the Re-Fuel station (food) or Starwood points. If you need a little extra motivation while on the go, stop by the Re:charge 24/7 fitness center and download easy-to-execute a-workouts onto your laptop, iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, Treo or other handheld device.
Aloft is Alift for the Senses
AS I walked into the lobby of the Aloft Downtown Dallas hotel, I wasn’t expecting much out of the ordinary in this historic-looking, factory- type building in downtown Dallas.
AS I walked into the lobby of the Aloft Downtown Dallas hotel, I wasn’t expecting much out of the ordinary in this historic-looking, factory- type building in downtown Dallas. But I immediately did a double take. It looked like I’d wound up at a mixture of a hip nightclub, art gallery, and trendy café. Soon enough, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find I was where I wanted to be: the Aloft Downtown Dallas.
Owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts, the group that also has chains like Westin, Sheraton, W Group, Regis and Le Méridien, Aloft is an enjoyable change from the norm. I don’t usually wander hotel corridors to admire the interior design, but Aloft inspired me to do so. When I first checked into my room, I had to stroll around a few times to take it all in. After I sat down to relax, I walked around the room again just to see if I’d missed anything (which I had!). Then looking out my window across the street at the Dallas Convention Center, train station and City Hall, I was reminded how conveniently located the hotel is. For frequent travelers, hotels are a blur of similar designs. That’s not the case with Aloft. It is a lift for the senses.
Aloft is a “select” service hotel that does not have bellmen but caters to on-the- move business-savvy travelers who know what they want. The other primary segment of their clientele includes guests attending conferences at the convention center across the street.
WHERE TO STAY IN SEOUL
See TJ's top recommended places to stay in Seoul - a hot spot for foreign travelers, and a superior stay in Seoul!
A Superior Stay in Seoul
The Westin Chosun
The Westin Chosun Seoul is Korea’s first international hotel. This classic hotel was built in 1914 with the first running water, elevator and ice cream in the country, attracting celebrities like Marilyn Monroe and Bob Hope. Rebuilt in the 1960s and fully renovated since then, The Westin Chosun is within walking distance of the headquarters of major international banks, local government offices, historic landmarks and thriving shopping districts.
The hotel has 462 guest rooms and 40 suites with the Westin Heavenly Bed, anti-allergy carpets, self-serve espresso coffee machines, mobile phones and high-speed Internet access. Guests can access a business center with state-of-the-art conference rooms and a drug store, barbershop, beauty salon and souvenir shop as well as the City Athletic Club, a Pilates studio, a swimming pool, steam and dry saunas and whirlpools. For corporate events and weddings, there is the Grand Banquet Hall, six mid-sized banquet halls and conference rooms.